According to statistics from the United States Fire Administration (USFA) the United States has one of the highest incidences of fire deaths in the industrialized world with over 5,000 deaths are reported each year, and over 100 firefighters killed, on average. Fire is responsible for more deaths than all other natural disasters combined. Many of these deaths, over 80%, occur in the home, making fire the third leading cause of accidental death in the home. Also, according to the USFA, cooking is a leading cause of residential fires and fire injuries, with fires usually occurring due to unattended cooking or human error.
Fire risk in the home is magnified by the presence of those most vulnerable. Senior citizens and children under the age of five have the greatest risk of fire death at nearly double that of the average population.
Overall, more than 2 million fires are reported annually, with an estimated annual cost of more than $9.4 billion. It is believed that many fires go unreported, accounting for untold additional injury and financial loss.
In a common occurrence in households around the world, a house fire begins with an unattended or malfunctioning appliance, particularly a stove. The heat-producing elements of a stove, whether they are gas or electric, can be the source of fires which begin and grow at the stove, sustained by the continued feed of power and/or gas to the stove. Many fires which begin on the stove top or in the oven would not grow to dangerous proportions but for the fact that the power and gas supplies maintain the oven and/or burner heating elements aflame or at otherwise elevated temperatures. The temperatures sustain the existence and growth of the fire such that it spreads beyond the stove to nearby areas having sufficient presence of flammable materials such that ultimately, the fire can only be managed by emergency measures. The role of the continued operation of the stove in the growth of the fire to damaging, emergency proportions is well understood.
However, millions of households remain at risk for appliance initiated fires. One reason is that purchasing a new stove in order to accrue the benefits of a fire safe-system is expensive enough that most families do not undertake the expense of appliance replacement. Furthermore, retrofitting an appliance with a system which can detect a fire and respond by curtailing power and/or other utilities can be as expensive as purchasing a new appliance. Thus, most homes remain at risk for appliance-initiated fire and the resultant devastation.
Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes are often followed by devastating fires which endanger survivors immobilized by rubble and complicate recovery efforts. These fires can result from electrical appliances such as televisions, clothes dryers and other appliances, particularly those that have the ability to store a charge when turned off. Other electrical appliances which are hazardous during an earthquake are those which have heating elements which may remain at high temperature even after the appliance tips over or which have elements which could come into contact with flammable materials during or after the disaster event.
Furthermore, gas-fed and electrical appliances can be a hazard during an earthquake. The potential for gas leaks to be created at a point in the gas line further down-line from the wall connection is high during an earthquake due to the rigidity of many lines and the fact that the appliance can easily be jolted out of position due to the tremor itself or floors shifting and items falling in the surrounding area. Leaking gas can then be ignited by electrical wires and heated elements.